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Ligand-Enhanced Optical Response of Gold Nanomolecules and Its Fragment Projection Analysis: The Case of Au 30 (SR) 18

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C
Here we investigate via first-principles simulations the optical absorption spectra of three different Au30(SR)18 monolayer-protected clusters (MPC): Au30(StBu)18, which is known in the literature and whose crystal structure is available, and two species – Au30(SPh)18 and Au30(SPh-pNO2)18 – which have been designed by replacing the tert-butyl organic residues with aromatic ones so as to investigate the effects of ligand replacement on the optical response of Au nanomolecules. In analogy with previously studied but rather different Au23(SR)16- anionic species, a substantial ligand-enhancement of the absorption intensity in the optical region is obtained for the Au30(SPhpNO2)18 neutral MPC. This demonstrates that using conjugated aromatic ligands with properly chosen electron withdrawal substituents and exhibiting steric hindrance so as to also achieve charge decompression at the surface is a general approach to enhance MPC photo-absorption intensity in the optical region. Moreover, the ligand-enhancement phenomenon is subjected to a detailed analysis based on fragment projection of electronic excited states and on induced transition densities, leading to a better understanding of its physical origin, thus opening avenues to its more precise control and exploitation.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1364002
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-123164; 49097; 49645; KP1704020
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. C Journal Issue: 20 Vol. 121; ISSN 1932-7447
Publisher:
American Chemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Au 36 (SePh) 24 nanomolecules: synthesis, optical spectroscopy and theoretical analysis journal January 2018
Pd doping, conformational, and charge effects on the dichroic response of a monolayer protected Au 38 (SR) 24 nanocluster journal January 2019
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Chirality in bare and ligand-protected metal nanoclusters journal January 2018

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